The Election Commission announced on Monday an online portal for registered political parties to file their financial statements, including contribution reports, audited annual accounts, and poll expenditure statements, in an effort to increase transparency in political entity disclosures.
According to sources, the ‘Integrated Election Expenditure Monitoring System’ is part of the poll panel’s “3C strategy” of clean up, crackdown, and compliance to strengthen transparency and accountability in political funding and expenditure, on which it has been working for a year under Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
Political parties that do not intend to post their financial reports online must explain why in writing and may continue to file reports in hard copy format along with CDs or pen drives in the approved formats.
“The Commission will, in turn, publish all such reports online, along with a letter of justification sent by the party for not filing financial statements online,” the EC stated in a statement.
The Commission stated in a letter to political parties that the action was done with two goals in mind: to overcome problems in completing physical reports and to ensure timely filing in a standardised format.
The gateway would make it easier for political parties to file their Contribution Report, Audited Annual Account, and Election Expenditure Statement online.
According to the poll panel, political parties are required to submit financial statements to the Election Commission/Chief Electoral Officers of States/Union Territories under the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, and transparency guidelines issued by the Commission from time to time over the last many years.
Post Your Comments